TEFL FIRM BECOMES EMPLOYEE-OWNED
THE WORLD’s leading provider of TEFL (teaching English as a foreign language) accreditations has become employee owned, to preserve its reputation and protect loyal workers from a relocation from its Highland headquarters.
Launched from a garden shed in the middle of the 2008 financial crash by founders Joe Hallwood and Jennifer MacKenzie (pictured), the TEFL Org is established as a market leader, with more qualifications secured than any other provider.
Since its inception, the TEFL Org, which provides in-person and online courses, has grown year on year. In the last financial year alone, the company witnessed an 81% growth, increasing revenue from £2.4m in 2019 to £4.8m in 2020.
Currently based in the Scottish Highlands, it now employs more than 30 employees from over 5 different countries, including 17 core staff, 11 of whom are local to the office.
Joe Hallwood, co-founder of the Inverness firm, has attributed the move to providing job security for staff, and ensuring the company maintains its pioneering standards for years to come.
He said: “Jennifer and I have built the brand from the ground up. We’re very proud of it and want to ensure it continues thriving as we look towards retirement.
“We are the highest calibre TEFL provider in the world, both in terms of operations and the way we treat our staff. If we were to sell to a competitor, we risk losing our hard-won reputation. “Some of our employees have been with us since the first few months and know the company inside out. We trust them to do right by the firm and have no doubt it will continue to thrive under their care.”
The Employee Ownership Trust allows for a buyout over time, giving everyone time to adjust before the company becomes fully employee owned.
While the pandemic resulted in a cessation of in-person learning, the TEFL Org’s virtual classroom courses and on-demand online courses have grown in popularity, by more than 250% over the last year.
